How to Measure the Height of Horses: 4 Steps (with Pictures) How to Measure the Height of Horses Community Q&A Egyptians created forms of measurement thousands of years ago. One of the measurements still widely used today is the hand. Each hand represents four inches and is the primary way to measure the height of a horse. By taking a linear measurement and converting the numbers to hands, the height of a horse can be determined. Steps 1 Purchase a horse measuring stick marked with hand measures. If a horse measuring stick is not available, a standard measuring tape is acceptable. Horse measuring sticks can be found at equestrian supply stores (tack shops), farm supply stores and from various online retailers. 2 Make sure the horse is standing on firm level ground with its front feet as even as possible. 3 Place the horse measuring stick or measuring tape at the base of one of the horse's front feet and pull the measuring device up to the withers. The withers is located at the top of the shoulders between the neck and back and is considered the highest point on a horse.

The highest point of a horse is actually the top of its head, (also known as the poll), but since a horse moves its head up and down frequently, it is difficult to record this measurement accurately. Stretch the measuring device to the highest point of the withers. More precisely, extend the measuring device up to the spiny ridge between the horse's shoulder blades. 4 Record the measurement. If the horse measuring stick is being used, then the measurement can be recorded in hands immediately. If a measuring tape is being used, conversion of the measurement from inches to hands is required. One hand equals 4 inches (10.2 cm), so divide the measurement by 4. For example, if the horse measures 71 inches (180.3 cm), divide 71 by 4 inches. The result is 17 hands with 3 inches (7.6 cm) left over. The final height would be recorded as 17.75 hands. Community Q&A Can I increase the height of my horse? wikiHow Contributor Not really, though you can make sure to feed your horse the proper feed and nutrients when the horse is young, to prevent the horse from having stunted growth.

When you're using a measuring stick, do you take the measurement from the top side or the bottom side of the reading bar? wikiHow Contributor Unanswered Questions Do you use the flat bottom of cross bar on stick or the curved top with level? If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know. Video Tips The hand is the most common form of horse measurement in the United States, Canada, and England. However, throughout other locations around the world, the metric system is used to record the horse's height. When a horse measures one half hands, indicate the measurement with .2 and not with .5. A horse measuring stick is the easiest way to measure a horse quickly and accurately. A horse measuring under 14.3 hands high is, by definition, a pony, regardless of breed. The height of an average horse is roughly 16 hands. How to Estimate Measurements Without a Ruler Updated January 04, 2017. Measuring Without Using a Ruler These easy ways to estimate measurement based on parts of your body or items you almost always have with you will help you get a measure for almost anything without needing a ruler.

We've all done it, looked carefully at something on a sales table then brought it home only to find out it is too large or too small. Learn the size of the items on the list below that you use most frequently and you won't have that problem anymore. If you need to estimate the size of patterns on wallpaper or fabrics, you might want to carry a simple viewfinder of cardboard or an empty photo slide mount to estimate the size of items similar to the way photographers do. Common Measurements Based on Your Body. One Inch (2.5 cm) - is roughly the measure from the top knuckle on your thumb to your thumb tip. Measure yours to see how close it is to one inch. You should always have a thumb handy for a guide for measuring items under 6 inches (15cm)! continue reading below our video 7 Places to Find Inspiration for Crafting In miniatures, 1 inch = roughly 1 foot in standard dollhouse scale (1:12) and it is quite close to the size used for standard 28mm gaming figures for wargaming . One inch is also close to the height of figures in 1:64 or "S" railway scale,which also relates to gaming figures.

The 28mm size is a 'heroic" figure in 1:64, where the "normal" figure would be roughly 1 inch or 25mm tall. Four Inches (10cm) or one hand for measuring horses is roughly the width of most people's hands measured across your bottom knuckles (without the thumb). One Yard (36 inches or 92cm) is roughly the distance from your nose to the bent fingers on your outstretched hand. Measure you arm to see how close this measurement is to one yard if you use that measurement often. One Meter (39 inches) is a similar measurement to the yard above, just use your arm with fingers extended. This is an easy way to estimate yards and meters of cord, fabric or ribbon. Check the length of your arm against a ruler or measuring tape to find out how long a length you can measure easily this way. One Elbow Length From your bent elbow to the tips of your fingers is between 15 and 18 inches (35- 48 cm) for most people. Measure With Your Foot A woman's size 9 foot (US and Canada) is usually ten inches (25cm) long.

In Europe, this is a size 40 and in the UK size 6 1/2 Measurements based on common papers you might be carrying. A standard business card is 3 1/2 inches long and 2 inches high ( 9 x 5 cm) Standard credit and Id cards are 3 3/8 inches by 2 1/8 inches. ( 8.5 x 5.4 cm) Use Coins and Bills to Measure A US dollar bill is 2 7/12 inches tall by 6 1/6 inches long. (6.5cm x 15.5 cm) Canadian bills are 6 inches long by 2 3/4 inches tall. (15.2 x 7cm) A one cent coin is 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) across. A quarter is just under one inch (2.5 cm) across. Standard Furniture Measurements use these to check for rough scale or size against other objects, or when buying pieces of furniture or accessories for model buildings / dollhouses.

The sizes below are the sizes of the real items, in 1:12 scale, a six-foot door would be 6 inches tall (15cm) Standard modern doors are six foot six (198 cm) to six foot eight inches (203 cm) high A dining room table surface is usually 30 inches (76 cm) from the ground. The seat of a dining room chair is usually 15-17 inches (38 -43 cm) from the floor. Using Miniature Printed People to Check Model / Miniature Size and Scale It is easiest to estimate scale for models and miniatures if you take along a person sized to the correct scale. Carry one from this printable set and you'll be able to see if that motorbike or car is close to the right scale for your collection. If the figure is too big or too small in relation to the object, it isn't in the right scale. Another trick is to have a figure on your keychain which fits your particular scale, you can always place it next to an object to see if it looks the correct size. Just How Tall IS a "Hand" Just how tall is a hand?

by Shlei Equines are measured in units. Which unit of measure is used depends on the association doing the registration. Some registries use inches to determine size, since it is easier than trying to convert to hands. A hand is four inches. The story behind this unit of measurement is that a kind went to measure his favorite horse. Not having a device to measuer with, he used the only thing he knew would be consistent: the palm of his hand. Since then, the hand has been the unit of measure for equines. The letters HH or hh after the numbers stand for Hands High. The single letter H or H may be used, standing just for "hands". Parts of a hand are given after the whole unit, following a decimal. 10.2 hands (can also be read as just Ten-two) means ten hands and two more inches. (4 inches x 10 hands equals 40 inches, plus two additional inches, so 10.2 is 42 inches tall). 10.3 would be 10 hands and 3 inches, forty-three (43) inches. There is no such thing as 10 hands 4 inches, as 4 inches would be an additional hand.

However, even fractions of an inch can be listed, such as 10.3 � hh. (Ten hands, 3 �" inches, or Ten-three and three-quarters: just �" shy of a full 11 hands.) 3.3 hands - 15 inches at the withers, the smallest horse ever documented. Too Small! But, this animal reportedly only lived to be two years old (just short of what anyone would call mature). 4.2 hands - 18 inches. A few Miniature foals are only 18 inches high at birth. 6 hands - 24 inches. There have been a few Miniature Horses reported at this height (short?) in recent years. 6.1 hands - 25 inches - unverified report of the smallest known mature Miniature Donkey 6.2 hands- 26 inches - the height of the smallest known breeding Miniature donkeys (in the USA) and also the height of the smallest known mule in the world (General Grant). 7 hands - 28 inches. A few Miniature donkeys this small, difficult for females in pregnancy and birthing.

Animals this small prized in some circles, but conformation tends to suffer. Either malproportioned in some cases, or very tiny with weak bone. 7.2 - 30 inches. Was once being debated as the cut-off point for breeding size in Miniature donkeys (no plans by ADMS to do this) 8 hands - 32 inches. Miniature size for horse, donkey or mule. Good average for Miniature Donkey height. 9 hands - 36 inches - breakover point from Miniature to Small standard for donkeys with no pedigree (Maximum height 36") . Still miniature height for mules. 9.2 hands - 38 inches. Maximum allowable height for Miniature donkeys with BOTH parents registered as Miniature. Still classified as Oversized in MDR. 10 hands - 40 inches. Breakover for small standard to Standard donkeys. (Still Miniature height for mules) 11 hands - 44 inches. Standard donkeys in this height range. Common height for most of the Plains zebras (Grants, Damaraland, Chapmans) 12 hands - 48 inches.

The breakover from Standard to Large Standard in donkeys 12.2 hands - 50 inches. The breakover from Miniature to Saddle Mules. 13 hands - 52 inches - large Standard donkeys. Considered Pony height in horse breeds. Top end height for zebras, only Grevy's species usually get this tall. 13.2 hands - 54 inches - breakover from Large Standard to Mammoth height in Jennets 14 hands - 56 inches - breakover point from Large Standard to Mammoth for Jacks and Geldings 14.2 - 58 inches - in horses considered the line between Pony (under 14.2) and horse height. Typical size of many Mustangs, although a recent infusion of outside blood in some herds produces larger animals now. 15 hands - 60 inches - typical for many saddle horse breeds, mules, and reaching the top end for Mammoth height. About average height for Arabians and some Gaited breeds. 16 hands - 64 inches. Getting pretty large for a donkey, but a few jacks reported close to this height.

Typical range for saddle mules, draft horses, and many saddle horse breeds. 17 hands - 68 inches. Extremely large for a donkey, they tend to "fall apart" in conformation at this height. Commonly seen in some Draft horse breeds, Warmbloods, and a few saddle mules. 18 hands - 72 inches. A few specimens this tall, but unusual in all but a few breeds, mainly Warmblood or Drafters. 19 hands - 76 inches! (6 foot, 4" at the withers). Taller than most men! 19.1 hands - 77 inches high, 6 foot 5 inches at the withers. The height of the tallest Mule in the World, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Apollo, (b 1977, in TN) is listed with teammate Anak at 18.3. (75 inches) 20 hands - 80 inches. 21 hands - 84 inches 21.2 � hands - 86 � inches at the withers.

Tallest horse ever documented, a Shire gelding named Sampson (aka Mammoth with good reason!) measured in 1850 and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. How do you measure an equine? You must use a measuring stick, with a cross-piece and preferably a level. Stand the animal on a hard, level surface (a drive, aisle, or sheet of plyboard). A muddy field or uneven ground won't give you an accurate reading. Place the level/crossbar at the withers. The stick should be straight up-and-down and not leaning. Measure at the top of the withers (the last hair of the mane on most equines). If you are not sure where to measure, put a small treat like a bit of apple or carrot on the ground in front of the animal. Look at the shoulders when they put their head down. The part of the shoulders that sticks up HIGHEST when their head is down is where you measure to. If you try to measure just using a flexible tape measure you won't get an accurate measurement.

A version of using the tape used to be called "Jackstock Measuring" and resulted in additions of fractions of an inch to more than 2" to an animals height. Measure three times, and average the readings if you have to. You will find it's very hard to make an animal measure up exactly the same every time. Remember, too, that measuring should be done when the animals hooves are freshly trimmed, or at least of proper length. Long toes and the addition of shoes can add to a height. Height measurements should not be given in most cases in fractions of anything smaller than 1/8 of an inch. A thick winter coat or a little extra hoof can cause that much difference with ease. How to Measure a Horse. The Horse Height & Weight | Local Riding Search How to Measure a Horse. The Horse Height & Weight How To Measure a Horses Height and Weight … All horse owners should know how to measure a horse and especially how to estimate your horses weight and specify its height. Your horses weight measurement should be used to calculate how much feed it needs as well as dosage for worming and other medications.

Knowing your horses’ height is very important if you are considering selling your horse or entering some classes of equestrian competition, particularly showing classes. Horse heights conversion table : Horses and ponies are measured in either hands high (hh) or centimetres (cms). The decimal centimetre measurement being the more modern way to measure a horse but quite a few horse owners struggle to compare the two measurements. So, we thought a horse measurement conversion chart would come in handy : Hands 180 Table 13-17.3 – Horse Height Conversion Hands and cms A hand is equal to 4 inches or 10.2cms. You should measure your horse from the point of the withers to the ground. A horse that is 61 inches tall is 15.1 hands or 15 hands and 1 inch or 15.1hh. This is calculated using (61/4 = 15.25); the .25 is the decimal equivalent of one quarter and a quarter of 4 = 1; so 15.1hh.

Alternatively, to calculate the centimetre height either mulitply 61 inches by 2.54 which equals apprx 155cms or divide 61 by 4 and then multiply by 10.2 which again equals approximately 155cms. A pony is 14.2 hands or less at the withers. Calculating your horses weight is a little more complicated : Knowing your horses weight, at least approximately, can be very helpful for such simple things as calculating feed amounts and knowing how much wormer to administer. As it’s not easy to find a weighing machine or scale big enough to accommodate your horse, there are several ways of calculating a horse’s approximate weight. Of course, if you have a farmer friend or have access to livestock scales, then use those for a truly accurate measurement. The following two methods are among the most common approximation methods and provide a good idea of your horses weight. 1. Height and Weight Tapes : Probably the most common method people use to estimate their horses weight is to buy and use a height/weight tape. You simply wrap the tape around your horses girth (aka "heart girth") and read the estimated weight on the tape.

The height and weight tape has been available for many years and horse owners generally feel they are very reliable. They usually come complete with instructions on how to use them. You can find low cost examples on ebay and other online stores. 2. Measuring your horses’ weight using a standard inch tape … Another way to estimate your horses weight is to use a standard inch tape to measure its girth and length. Then, simply perform the following calculation: (((heart-girth x heart-girth) x body-length) divided by 300) + 50 = weight. How to take the horse weight measurements : Step 1. Measuring Heart Girth To measure your horses heart girth, measure (in inches) from the base of the withers down to a couple of inches behind your horses front legs, then under the belly and up the opposite side to where you started. The tape measure should run at an angle as shown by the yellow line in the image on the right. This measurement is your horses heart girth. Step 2. Measuring Body Length To measure your horses body length, measure (in inches) from the point of the shoulder to the point of the hip.

Your tape measure should run at an angle as shown by the yellow line in the image. The measurement you take is your horses body length. Step 3. The calculation Multiply the heart-girth by the heart-girth Multiply the above result by the body-length Divide this result by 300 then add 50 The result is your horses aprroximate body weight. Practical Use & Testing We were curious to know if a height/weight tape would give the same estimated weight for a horse as calculating weight with the manual heart girth and length calculation. We tried both methods on the same horse and you can see the results we came up with below. How close will the results be for each method : Any method that doesn’t actually use a calibrated weight scale is always going to be a rough approximation based on accepted norms, generalities and averages. ie, the average 15.2hh cob type has a heavy chest and shoulders, so will weigh between x and y. The 15.2hh thoroughbred is finely built and will be light for its height. Both methods should be reasonably close but the answers will vary depending on how close your horse is to the average horse.

The height and weight tape doesn’t factor in your horses body length and, as we all know, a tall horse can be short backed and a short horse can have a long body. So, we measured our 6 year old, 16.3hh (170cms) thoroughbred warmblood cross. She’s a big girl and well covered due to the wet summer, hot autumn and plentiful grass. The height/weight tape gave us a value between 1320lbs (600kgs) and 1380lbs (627kgs) Measuring by hand we calculated (((70×70)x75)/300)+50 = 1275lbs (580kgs) Close enough to reassure us that we’re feeding correctly and using the correct dose of horse wormer . To get any closer to the true weight of your horse you need access to a livestock scale. What is the Right Size Horse Trailer?

Built to size of horse 19 hands plus Be careful if a trailer company does not have various model sizes in their lineup, but is just adding footage and width without upgrading tires, floor structure, axle rating, and re-engineering the balance of the trailer. Regarding slant loads: Most slant loads will not fit horses over 15-3 hands comfortably. Most slant loads that quote 10 to 11 feet on the diagonal (far corner to far corner) will, in reality, will have stall lengths that are only be 8 to 8 ½ feet long (measure down the center). Some slant loads purport that they have warm blood size stalls, but the only way a slant load can fit larger horses (since there are legal limits to how wide a trailer can be, and there are wheel wells in all stalls up to 4 horses) is to widen the stall, or take out a divider. When this is done, a horse can stand more front to back. The smaller the horse, the better it will fit in a slant load trailer. It's our opinion that the only positive trait to a slant load is that you can stack more horses in a shorter trailer. Is a ramp better?

Or a step-up? A well designed, easy to lift, low angled ramp with springs across the bottom of the ramp (not on the sides) is better than a step up, especially on all two horse straight load trailers. Without a ramp, there is always the danger of a horse backing out, stepping down, and sliding under the back of the trailer. A hot day, a bee in the trailer, etc., can cause even the best trained horse to want to scramble out quickly. A ramp eliminates the possibility of a horse sliding under the trailer from ever happening. (Note: don't let some dealer tell you that a horse can slide under the side of a ramp or step off the side and get seriously hurt). Should I tie my horse's head or leave him loose? We feel that the best stall situation is one in which the horses are traveling straight, head forward, no lower center divider, no back post, and the horses head is tied with enough rope to let him stretch his neck, especially if he is eating hay in the trailer. He will need to be able to cough out any hay that might get into his respiratory system. A quick release snap is important, but not one that will release on its own.

We have designed and developed a special lead rope that is adjustable in a way that a horse can't get caught in it, and will quick release on both ends. Is the slant-load style the best? Why or why not? It's our opinion that the only advantage to a slant load is exactly the same reason why they were first developed. One can stack more horses in a shorter trailer. Although many articles have been written since then that have tried to support that slant loads provide a better ride for horses, none that we have found, have been accurate. The negatives to slant loads are numerous. If a front horse has a problem, you can't reach it without unloading the other horses (unless you have a front unload ramp). Tow vehicles are always moving forward even when they make turns. During all that stopping and starting, a horse needs to plant its front and back feet for balance, rather than standing on an angle where its constantly falling on its front forward leg, and rear hind leg. The stall length is rarely big enough unless your horses are very small. Most horses that are 16 hands plus will have their noses pushed up against the road side wall, and their butts squeezed against the ditch side wall.

The size problem comes from the limitation of what the legal width of a trailer can be. It can go up to 8'6" but the wheel wells are then inside the trailer and are still restricting the horse's space. How much ventilation does a horse really need? Summer? Winter? In the summer, horses need as much ventilation as you can give them. This can be provided by having large windows on the sides of the trailer, in the rear doors, and near the horse's heads. Also, there should be at least one roof vent for each horse. On tag-alongs, a bulkhead window with front opening windows in the nose of the trailer can provide additional ventilation. Oscillation fans that run off you tow vehicle battery (the same as your interior lights) can provide additional ventilation if you get stopped in traffic. Screens are important because they allow the air in without letting in insects, wasps, cigarettes, and road debris. In the cooler months, it's nice to have an dual wall, insulated trailer that will hold in the horses body heat. But it is still wise to crack windows, and adjust vents (dual scoop vent) to allow the air to flow freely through the trailer. Where do the vents do the most good?

Above their heads. Should I bed my horse when hauling? If so, with what? Straw? Wood shavings? What is best? Using or not usiing bedding, depends on your horse. Some geldings don't like to "splash" themselves in the trailer. A coating of shavings, or hay, can solve this. Otherwise, it is not necessary. However, we have found that shavings left in a trailer can draw moisture and cause the inside of the trailer to "sweat". Note: Here are some more questions that we are often asked if you want to go further with this. Is a gooseneck safer than a tag-along ? What size tow vehicle do I need to pull a two horse trailer, a four horse trailer? Can a trailer be financed? Which is better, aluminum or steel? hat do I buy first - the tow vehicle or the trailer? Click on the links below to get the size information of our various horse trailers: Your Body Ruler - A User's Manual Your Body Ruler - A User's Manual The idea: you can measure with your body. Length, angle, time, etc. This page deals with length. And...

you will never forget to bring your bodyruler with you. :) Though sometimes I forget my calibration... Your Body Ruler Congratulations on being a human ruler! Throughout history, people have been using themselves to measure length. You can too! An example How big is the screen/paper in front of you? My screen is about 4.5 palms by 3.5 palms. (Yes, there are now fingerprints on my screen. :) Having calibrated myself, I know my palm is 0.07 meters (7 cm, 2.75 in). So my screen is something like 0.31 by 0.24 m (12.4 by 9.6 in). Measuring with an "ordinary ruler", I get 0.32 m and 0.25 m. (12.5 by 9.5 in.) So my palms quickly gave a nice measurement. Calibrating Yourself A first step is to choose your measures, and measure your choices. Many body distances can be used as measures, but you dont need all of them. Many have similar size (for example, hand and palm), so you can just choose ones you prefer, perhaps ones with numbers easier to remember.

Also, some are related (1 palm can be 4 fingers). Feel free to use other measures, or to modify these (like using little finger rather than middle finger). The important thing is consistency, using them the same way each time. Before using any new measuring instrument, one needs to calibrate it by comparing it with something else, something of known measure. For your bodyruler, you can use an "ordinary ruler". Averaging can be used to reduce error. For instance, measure out 3 palms and divide by 3, rather than just measuring a single palm. Here are some measures you might use. I've highlighted my favorites, and included some roman names. Measure Good for walking long distances. ~150 cm, ~60 in (~1.5 meter) Stuff Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) writes of Roman architect-engineer Vitruvius Pollio (1st century B.C.): "... Vitruvius declares that Nature has thus arranged the measurements of a man: four fingers make one palm.

and four palms make one foot; six palms make one cubit; four cubits make once a man's height; four cubits make a pace, and twenty-four palms make a man's height..." [Klein, pg 68] It would be nice to discuss measurement error and techniques, usage hints, historical notes on the units, averaging to create standards, perhaps also calibrate precision/errorbars, ... Angle See also Measuring angle & distance with your thumb . The visual height of your fist, held out in front of you, is about 10 degrees. You can check this by starting with your arm straight out, and than walking you fists upward, hand over hand. At 9 fists, you should be pointed at the ceiling. + + f + f Eye ddddddddddddddddd f + A brief elaboration: together, the distance from eye to outstretched fist, and the height of the fist, form two sides of a right triangle, and thus determine an angle. (say 58 cm and 9 cm, "opposite over adjacent" is 9/58, with arctan(9/58) = 9 degrees).

It would be nice to have some notes on usage, on sensitivity to fist distance, on measuring the distance to objects of known size (aircraft, people), on measuring the height of a building by walking towards it, on ... References The Science of Measurement : A Historical Survey / Herbert Arthur Klein. 1988 (Under another title in 1974). Especially pages 53-73. Estimate Horse Weight Note: Links with green underlines are shopping links and will open in a new window How To Testing Two Methods of Estimating Horse Weight Knowing your horse's weight, at least approximately, can be very helpful for such things as calculating feed rations, knowing how much de-wormer to administer, and more. While it's not always practical to find a scale big enough to accommodate a horse, there are several ways commonly used to estimate a horse's weight. Below: This horse's weight on a livestock scale was 1,320 pounds. In the article below we describe how we used three different horses to test two common methods of estimating horse weight: 1) by using a height/weight tape and 2) by performing a common weight calculation.

Then, we compared the estimated weights to actual weights on a livestock scale. Height / Weight Tapes Probably the most common method people use to estimate their horse's weight these days is to use a height/weight tape . To use one of these tapes you simply put the tape around the horse's girth (aka "heart girth") and read the estimated weight on the tape. Weight Calculation Another way to estimate a horse's weight is to use a "regular" tape measure - the kind that measures in inches - to measure a horse's girth and length. Then, you perform the following calculation: Heart girth X heart girth X length, divided by 330, + 50 = weight. For example: If a horse's heart girth was 78" and his length was 65", the calculation would be: 78 X 78 X 65 ÷ 330 + 50 = 1,248 pounds, approximate weight.

How to take the measurements for the weight calculation: Measuring Heart Girth To measure a horse's heart girth, measure (in inches) from the base of the withers down to a couple of inches behind the horse's front legs, under the belly, then up the opposite side to where you started. Notice this will cause your tape measure to run at an angle as shown by the blue line in the photograph at right. The measurement you arrive at is your horse's heart girth. Measuring Body Length To measure a horse's length, measure (in inches) from the point of the shoulder to the point of the rump. Notice this may cause your tape measure to run at an angle as shown by the blue line in the photograph at right. The measurement you arrive at is your horse's length. Estimated Weights Vs. Actual Weights The three horses below were measured, and their estimated weight was calculated, according to the illustrations and instructions above. Then we used a height/weight tape to see what it gave as an estimated weight. Lastly, we weighed them on a livestock scale to compare their actual weights to their estimated weights. This was all done on the same day within about a 1 1/2 hour time span.

Horse #1 In Conclusion In our experiment neither the height/weight tape nor the weight calculation estimated the horses' weights with total accuracy compared to their weights on a scale. Between the height/weight tape and measuring for the calculation, the height/weight tape was far easier to use. It was very simple for one person to put the height/weight tape around the horses' heart girth and read the estimated weight. In repeated use, we seemed to naturally put the height/weight tape in the same place every time and therefore received consistent weight estimates. Measuring the horses' length for the weight calculation, though, was not quite as easy. It wasn't exactly difficult, but it was easiest to do with two people instead of one. You also had to be careful to place the tape measure at the same start and end points in order to consistently come up with the same measurement. In our experiment changing the length measurement by one inch (longer or shorter) resulted in an approximate difference in the weight estimate of about 20 pounds (heavier or lighter). So......we slightly prefer the height/weight tape to the weight calculation. Neither method was totally accurate, but it was much easier to come up with consistent results with the height/weight tape.

"Weighing" a horse over time with a height/weight tape may not give 100% accurate results, but it can give a reasonable comparison of relative weights for a horse, that is, you at least know approximately how much weight the horse is gaining or losing. Notes Height/Weight Tape: To use the height/weight tape we ran it around the horses' heart girth from the base of the withers to just behind the front legs. To the best of our knowledge this is the correct, and most common, way of using a height/weight tape. However, we do know people who say that the correct way to use the tape is to put it at the top of the horse's withers, not at the base. We did that, too, just for fun, and it increased each horse's estimated weight by 50 to 60 pounds, which was still less than their scale weights.

Alternate Method Of Measuring Length: Another common way of measuring a horse's length to estimate weight using the calculation given above is to measure from the center of the chest, along the horse's side, to the center of the tail (instead of measuring from the point of the shoulder to the point of the hip like the instructions above). We measured this way, too, and it increased each horse's weight to be heavier than their scale weights by 100 - 176 pounds. Certified Scales: Weight scales, like weight estimates, are rarely 100% accurate. However, using reasonably reliable scales is one way to try to get the most accurate results. The livestock scales we used to weigh the horses for this article were at a livestock auction facility that has their scales certified for accuracy according to state law. Imperial Measures of Length and Area Enter number and select unit. Select other units for conversion. The units in common use were inches, feet, yards and miles. We all had to know our twelve times table! An inch is the width of a thumb, a foot is the length of a foot (!) and a yard is a single stride, all for a large man.

My own thumb is 3/4 inch across, my foot is 11 inches and my stride is 2 feet. However, the word 'stride' is ambiguous. It may mean two steps, that is until you are on the same foot again, in which case my stride is 4 feet. The foot has been used for over a thousand years, the inch since medieval times, and the yard in the reign of Henry I (1100-1135) was within a tenth of an inch of the modern yard. Henry I decreed the lawful yard to be the distance between the tip of his nose and the end of his thumb, and in 1324, Edward II decreed that the inch was the length of 3 barley corns placed end-to-end. There are some Tudor measures here. The foot, a length of the human foot, became anything from 9 3/4 to 19 inches. � It was not until 1844 that there was anything resembling a real standard. In that year the British government created a standard master yard in the famous length of bronze, marked off in feet and inches which is still on view at Greenwich.

Click here for a photo and description of the Trafalgar Square standard measures. A light year is the distance that light travels in a year. The nearest stars are a few light years away. A foot is approximately a light nanosecond! (A nanosecond is a billionth of a second, or 1/1,000,000,000 secs.) The inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimetres. This means that the Imperial units of length are based on the metric system! A mile is derived from "mille", Latin for thousand, since a mile is a thousand Roman double paces, from left foot to left foot, about 5 feet, which would make 5000 feet. The mile is 5280 feet. In the past every part of England had its own mile, up to 2880 yards (it is now 1760 yards). In Ireland, the mile was 2240 yards well into the 20C. A chain is the length of a cricket pitch. It has been used since 1620.

It was so-called because it was measured with a real chain, with real links, made of metal. Its correct name is a Gunter's chain or surveyor's chain, since it was invented by the Rev. Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), a professor of astronomy at Gresham College, London. There is another chain of 100 feet, where each link is one foot long. This is the Ramsden's chain or engineer's chain (see near bottom for page for an example). The Gunter's chain is 4 poles long, which means that one chain by one furlong is an acre. This also means that an acre is 10 square chains. A correspondent says "The whole of the United States was measured and mapped using the Gunters Chain and his chain still applies to all title plans in use today.. �For this reason all city blocks, roads and avenues are multiples of the Chain. �Towns were laid out at 6 miles square or 36 sq miles. �Early farms were sold to would-be farmers as lots of 640 acres or 1 sq mile.

�Interestingly enough the Geodetic coastal survey and ordnance surveys of the entire US are metric." Medieval ploughing was done with oxen, up to 4 pairs at a time. The ploughman handled the plough. His boy controlled the oxen using a stick, which had to be long enough to reach all the oxen. This was the rod, pole or perch. It was an obvious implement to measure the fields, such as 4 poles to the chain. A BBC webpage about allotments says that "an allotment plot is 10 poles" and claims that "A pole is measured as the length from the back of the plough to the nose of the ox". I suppose that if you wanted to control the front ox, you needed a pole long enough to reach! The perch was used in the reign of Henry II (1154-1189), the pole since the 16C, and the rod since 1450. In the 16th century the lawful rod was decreed to be the combined length of the left feet of 16 men as they left church on a Sunday morning. An earlier name for a rod was a gyrd.

In North Devon there is a tradition that fencing, that is to say the cutting and laying of a hedge, would be done at so much a land yard, which seemed to be about 5 paces or 5.5 yards, which would equate to a rod, pole or perch. If anyone more about land yards, do let me know . A furlong is a "furrow long" or length of a mediaeval field. It is used for the lengths of some horse races.The furlong was also known as flatt, furshott, or sheth. The length varied depending on the type of soil. It was usual for horses to take a short breather at the end of the furrow before turning in to the next furrow. The heavier the soil, the harder the horses had to work, and so the less time between breathers. This led to shorter furrows or furlongs between the ends, and therefore local variations in furlong length. These variations were not removed until the railways required a universal standard measurement. Hands are used to measure horses. You measure from the ground to the withers of the horse (its shoulder) since it won't keep its head still.

3 hands = 1 foot (which sounds slightly odd). A line has been used since the 17C. It is used by botanists to describe the size of plants (which must be very small!) It is not common (in fact, I had never heard of it until I started researching this site!) A thou is a colloquial term for a thousandth of an inch. It was introduced in 1844. It is generally credited to Joseph Whitworth who demonstrated that as little as 1/1000" was the difference between clearance and intereference. These measurements are all land units. Sailors have their own units . Abbreviations inch in or " foot ft or ' yard yd mile m or mi You can see that there might be some confusion over m (meaning miles) and m (meaning metres)! Area Enter number and select unit. Select other units for conversion. Rods, poles, perches and roods were all rather confused. They could all be a measure of length (5.5 yards). Rods, poles and perches could also be a measure of area (5.5 yards square, or 30.25 square yards).

So a 10 perch allotment would be 5.5 yards wide by 55 yards long. A rood could be a measure of area (1210 square yards). The dictionary also cheerfully states that this could vary round the country! Someone researching a Enclosure map of Castle Donington dated 1779 in Nottingham local Records Office says that the entries mention areas measured in "... A, ...R, ...P". I think this must stand for Acres, Roods and Poles (or possibly Perch). There are 40 poles to the rood, and 4 roods to the acre, which seems a reasonable collection of units. A correspondent confirms this from his research of a Rate Valuation List for assessing poor law rates in the Parish of Doulting in Somerset. He found "the maximum amount under P was 37 and the maximum under R was 3." He lives in British Columbia, and went on to say "In Canada and I am sure in the USA, at least in the West, roads and highways were always dedicated (not paved!) 66 ft wide (i.e. 1 chain).

�The soft metric conversion is 20 m which is almost exactly the same." (This is length rather than area, of course). As a further complication, I have a reference to 1 perch of stone being 24 cubic feet, making it a cubic measurement! If you want to visualise an acre, it's a square with sides 208.71 feet, or 69.7 yards. I have been sent some old examination questions for candidates� for admittance to American High School. Multiply 17 A, 3 R, 28 rds, 19 yds, 8 ft, 97 in, by 9 I think that A are acres, R are roods, rds are (square) rds, yds are (square) yards,ft are (square) feet and in are (square) inches. The square units are implied, else the question doesn't make sense!

Divide 45 T, 17 ewt, 1 qr, 24 lbs, 12 oz, 8 dr, by 8 Here we have tons, a misprint for hundredweight (cwt), quarters (usually abbreviated as qtr in Britain), pounds, ounces and drams. I leave the sum as an exercise for the readers! While I am not giving metric tables (they're BORING), a hectare is 10,000 square metres (or a hundredth of a square kilometre). This is equivalent to a square 100 metres on each side. I've also been told that 1 square metre is a centiare, 100 centiares to an are, and 100 ares to a hectare. A hectare is about two and a half acres. In the Channel Islands, a vergee is a standard measure of land, but the statutory definition differs between the bailiwicks. In Guernsey, a verg�e (Dg�rn�siais: vergie) is 17,640 square feet. It is 40 (square) Guernsey perches.

A Guernsey perch (also spelt perque) is 21 feet by 21 feet. In Jersey, a verg�e (J�rriais: vr�gie) is 19,360 square feet. It is 40 (square) Jersey perches. A Jersey perch (also spelt p�rque) is 22 feet by 22 feet. For comparison, a British perch (the area measurement) is 272.25 square feet, the Guernsey perch is 441 square feet and the Jersey perch is 484 sq feet - rather a difference! A lovely letter in New Scientist said "The proper units for large areas, such as those of giant icebergs and hurricanes, are the Wales (metric) and the Delaware (imperial). The conversion rate is approximately 3.215 Delawares to the Wales... Measurements of height is, of course, in Eiffeltowers and Empirestatebuildings (1.368 Eiffeltowers to the Empirestatebuilding)." Here is a good website which calculates areas in this unit!

I think that the Wales has replaced the Isleofwight, which used to be the standard unit. I have also spotted the Luxembourg as a measure of icebergs as well. This is, of course, rather a large area. A football pitch is often used for small areas, and Cambridge has been used for medium areas. As a very rough approximation (and that is all these units are!) 5000 Football Pitches = 1 Cambridge 500 Cambridges = 1 Wales. 3 measured ricks = 1 cord I thought the cord was an American unit, but a corresepondent corrected me. He said that it was used in Northumberland. "My father was using cords in his younger days when he worked in a timber yard. I remember him showing me a strange tape measure, marked with units about 4" apart, that they used to work out the cordage of a piece of timber from its length." Also, a webpage on the Common Rights in the New Forest mentions that a cord is a stack of wood in 4 foot lengths, 4 feet high and 8 feet long. It is concerned with Right of Fuelwood (Estovers).

In some districts the cord had dimensions of 16 feet by 4 feet by 2 feet. This is still 128 cubic feet. This website claims that in England, a fathom is a measure of capacity for round wood = 216 cubic feet, that is, the volume that would be occupied by a stack 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 6 feet high. That is surprising, as a fathom is usually a nautical term of length meaning 6 feet (deep). The same website also claims that in Yorkshire, England, the fandam was a measure of the circumference of haystacks, measured by a circle of people hugging the stack, their outstretched hands just touching. Another correspondent told me about the measured rick, and added "A rick is a any size stack of cornstalks, wood, straw or similar stuff, left in the field. Any ol' pile of firewood may also be called a rick, although most people just call it a woodpile. It takes about 8 cords of wood to heat a home for the entire winter." There is a volume of measure for lumber in the US called the board-foot.

A board foot is 144 cubic inches (or 1 foot x 1 foot x 1 inch). Rough lumber is sold in it. See Board Feet Estimation calculator . I have received an email about this: "My father �was a carpenter as was �father and grandfather, �and �in my youth I regularly overheard them using the �term 'super foot', which in short was 1 foot x 1 foot x �1 inch. � � Prior to changing to metric measures, I �found the �term �commonly used �throughout Australia; �I �am led to believe �that it came from the UK." Has anyone from the UK heard of a similar measurement? A correspondent answers this: "The use of super in conjunction with area measurement is short for superficial. All materials ordered from quarries whether hoggin, graded chippings or tarmac, are ordered by the yard or metre. These are cubic yards or cubic metres. Therefore a '10 yard load of tarmac' is actually 10 cubic yards. When the tarmac is spread 3" thick, the area covered is 120 super, or 120 square yards.

In each case the word 'cubic' or 'square' is omitted�but the words 'yard' or 'super' make the meaning absolutely clear. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives one of the meanings of 'superficial' as meaning 'relating to or involving two dimensions; esp. relating to extent of surface'".

A further comment from another correspondent: "In New Zealand the super foot was the standard measure for milled timer being 144 cubic inches.� I spend many years in timber as did my father and great grand fathers.� All large quantities of timber were described in super feet which was very handy for recutting.� Stocktaking in the timber yards, sales analysis and buying was similarly calculate in super feet.� it was easy to estimate the timber in a bundle or packet by eye.� Super feet slowly died out when we officially went metric in about 1975 but as you can imagine many of the old hands still used super feet to communicate with others skilled in the measure.�� The conversion from super feet to lineal feet of a board was easy.� Conversion of a metric cube to lineal feet is much slower if done on the spot mentally." There are various other measurements for timber including "Hoppus foot" (H.ft). 1 H.ft. = 1.273 cu.ft, or 1 cu.ft. = 0.785 H.ft.

The hoppus foot is used for round or rough-squared timber and the formula uses the mid-quarter-girth (M.Q.G.) in inches, squared, then multiplied by the length in feet and then divided by 144 to give H.ft. The girth is measured in inches at the mid-point between the butt and the tip and then divided by 4 to get the M.Q G. Quarter Girth tapes are available, with 66' tapes for the length, and ready-reckoner tables for standard types of timber eg. pit props.Other common timber terms were the ton for firewood and pulpwood, the bundle for stakes and pea-sticks etc., and the linear foot for pit-props and fence rails etc. Wood for chipboard or fibreboard is sometimes traded in units of 100 cu. ft. of piled chips, equivalent to 50 H.ft. of solid wood. My father used to work in th wooden beer barrel trade (a long time ago!) He says that the staves that went to make up a barrel were counted in mille. This was 1200 staves rather than a thousand. I have a reference to a shipping ton = 40 cubic feet.

This seems odd, since ton is usually a weight . But perhaps ships are more interested in volume! However, I have subsequently been informed by my of my useful correspondents that "This measurement allows shippers to obtain revenue based on either volume or weight and is an approximate equalisation of the volume and weight rates. Rates are usually obtained by the tonne, but large and light freights are charged by volume or 'freight (or shipping) tonne'." Referring to my statement above that "There don't seem to be many cubic measurements similar to the acre", a correspondent says "You may be interested in knowing about the 'acre-foot'. Here in the USA it is used in reference to reservoir size and is the amount of water needed to cover an acre to the depth of one foot." Very logical! Another correspondent gives from his FUI (Fund of Useless Information) "It needs 22,000 gallons of water to cover an acre of land with one inch of irrigation." Cubic measurement is really the same as capacity or volume .

However, the measurements are on this page are used for objects that have dimensions, such as wood, while capacity units, like pints and bushels, are used for liquids or dry goods that can be poured into a bag, such as grain. A bushel is 1.28 cubic feet, but we don't normally think of it like that! Older measures There are some measures that were not in our "tables" which we had to learn as children, because they had fallen into disuse. However, you do read about them. Many imperial measures of length were originally taken from parts of the body, sometimes obviously, such as hands or feet. But then at some time a standard length was decided on, and used by everyone. These older measurements, however, are not so precise. A span was originally the length from your little finger to your thumb if you stretch your fingers. It later became 9 inches (23 cm), which would make it a quarter of a yard. A nail was 2 and a quarter inches, which is a quarter of a span. So there were 16 nails to a yard. There is also a finger, which was 4 and a half inches, or 2 nails.

These are cloth measures. A palm was 3 inches - so there were 4 palms to a foot. A hand is an inch bigger. Possibly the idea was that a hand was the width of the hand including the thumb, and a palm was the width excluding the thumb. The cubit is the earliest unit of length, used in Egypt in the 3rd Dynasty (2800-2300 BC). It is the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. The English cubit is 18 inches long (46 cms), but the Romans, Egyptians and Hebrews all had different lengths. Cubits are used in the Bible. The ark was 300 cubits long. An ell is derived from "elbow". It started off similar to the cubit (see above), but the English ell was 45 inches long (115 cm). Other countries had different lengths for their ell. There was an old saying "Give him an inch and he'll take an ell". As the ell fell out of common use, the saying got changed to "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile" (which makes less sense).

45 inches is 5 spans, or a yard and a quarter. It could have been measured from finger-tip to nose, or possibly elbow to elbow! The ell was a measure of cloth, as was the bolt, which was 32 ells, or 40 yards. A cloth-yard was used to measure cloth. It is 37 inches long (94 cm), which is an inch longer than an ordinary yard. A cloth-yard shaft was an arrow a cloth-yard long. As I mentioned above, the inch was originally defined as 3 barleycorns. One of my correspondents mentions 4 poppy seeds = 1 barleycorn. A league is another measure that varies by country. In England, it is taken to be 3 miles. Tennyson wrote of the Charge of the Light Brigade: "Half a league, half a league, half a league onwards Into the valley of death rode the six hundred." In fairy tales, there were seven league boots, which would carry you 7 leagues in one stride! Assuming that a stride is two steps, then that's 10.5 miles in a step.

Jules Verne wrote a book about a submarine, called "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" (this refers to how far they travelled, not how deep they were!). A hide was enough land to support a house-hold, usually between 60-120 acres (24-48 hectares). A hide of good land was smaller than that of poor quality. Hides are used in the Doomsday Book. However, I have a reference of a hide as 100 acres. An acre is 4840 square yards (see above) and is a conventional measure of area. It was defined in the time of Edward I (1272-1307) and was supposed to be the area that a yoke of oxen could plough is a day. Acre is derived from the Latin for field. But the common field system of medieval times in Britain was ten acres. An acre is a furlong (furrow length) long and a chain wide. In fact, an archaic word for furlong was "acre-length" and for chain "acre-width". The Scottish and Irish used to have different values for their acres.

The Scottish acre was 6150.4 square yards and the Irish acre was 7840 square yards. Some archaeologists have deduced a megalithic yard from the statistical study of prehistoric stone circles, which they estimate to be 2.72 feet. It seems strange that pre-historic man had such a consistent measure, when in the past the mile was defined differently in different parts of England! Surely, they just measured out their circles with paces, which tend to be that length. It doesn't have to be a formal unit. However, if you are interested in the megalithic yard, see this website , but I don't agree with it myself! Another suggestion sounds distinctly interesting! "Back in my youth, early 1950s, �I was learning to play the piano. � My parents bought me a pocket metronome for Christmas. � This was the same as a measuring tape (which my brother got at the same time!) but had a non-linear scale. � If I pulled it out to the 60 marking, held it by the end and let it swing like a pendulum, it gave me a reference for 60 beats per minute.

� At 120 it meant 120 beats per minute. � Follow this through and each time you halve the length, the number of beats per minute doubles - hence the non-linear markings. � My metronome had a cloth tape and the �housing was made of plastic with an internal spring and ratchet with a small button to allow the tape to be �rewound. � As I remember, the scale was from 60 upwards - because of the non-linearity, it would have been to long to be used at slower rates! � Also there was a length of tape beyond the last marking - it would not have swung for very long at short lengths. � I don't remember the exact highest rate - probably around 160. � I would guess that the tape was just over a yard when fully extended. � I've never seen one since my childhood and I don't remember what happened to �mine in the end!" (He did eventually find it - photo on the right.)� "At least my pocket metronome allowed my father's mahogany cased �French Maelzel Paquet Metronome to survive - �I inherited that!

� If it was a pocket metronome, some of the Curwel tape is missing. � From my school physics, I remember a pendulum would indicate 60 beats a minute when the length from the pivot to the point of the centre of gravity of the weight on the end was approximately 39 inches. � I was taught not let it swing more than 20 - 30 degrees or it became inaccurate!" If the name is J.Curwen & Sons, they were musical publishers, so this becomes a distinct possibility. There is an article about John Curwen here . I've had confirmation of this from John Ledwon who has a collection of metronomes . He says "Yes it is a very old portable metronome. You hold the end of the tape and unwind it to the speed you want and then move it to get a pendulum effect...the time for the swing is approximately what is written on the tape.

I have one and it works quite well." This was a more general query: "when u look on any tape measure every 16inches has a mark and nowhere says wot this mark means, please say if u no cos so many mates of mine are trying to work it out." I have had a suggestion for this - " The tape measures with marks at 16" intervals.... I have seen them used for drywalling (plasterboards, partitions etc) in America etc...that is where an 8'x4' sheet is divided for fixing..i.e. every 16" for battons, hope this helps. More of a chippies tape you might say." Another suggestion: 'The marks are put there to make it easy to set out rafters joists etc. Most board material came in increments of 4 feet ie. 8ft by 4ft plywood sheet. a joist every 16" would mean 4 supports for each board, allowing for joins.' Someone else says that joists in America come at two foot intervals, and 16 inches is the typical spacing for wall studs used in wood-frame construction. Enough, already! It's a tape measure used by American builders.

(And in Britain we call them builders even if they work in wood.) But no, a further comment: "I agree with the suggestion that 16 inches is for drywall work.� In England the standard distance betwen uprights in a stud wall was 16 inches.� Also floor joists were usually at 16 inches if the had to carry ex 1 inch boards." So an American or British builders' tape. This is a chain with 100 links each one foot long, making 100 feet in total. This means that is cannot be a surveyor's chain (the usual chain, which is the length of a cricket pitch). Some research on the web has found that it is a Ramsden's chain or engineer's chain. One of the strange brass tags has Chesterman Sheffield England stamped on it. There was a firm based in Sheffield called Raybone Chesterman making tools until recently. So this describes the chain, but we don't know what it was used for, or who 'Ramsden' was, or what the different shaped brass tags mean. An email suggests that Ramsden was Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800), an English astronomical and scientific instrument maker.

See Wikipedia article . I've had another email: "When I was at college, we used surveying chains, I can't remember what length they were since we were working in metric but we had some experience on some of the older equipment. The chains had plastic tags along their length which made it easier to identify how far along the chain you were without having to count the links. Could the metal shaped tags be a similar idea with different numbers of 'teeth' instead of numbers?" Another email about the Rabone Chesterman Land chain: "I found a set of these destined for the dump. They are new and unused and in the original damaged box. I have a Buck & Hickman 1964 catalogue which shows them. The brass tallys are 10 feet apart. The model number on the box is 558 although the catalogue has 258 as one of the 3 types." Another email: 'I have a tape measure, that I bought at a car boot sale, it's new looking, plastic and metal.

It has marks on the imperial side for 12", which is a foot, 16", which I use for stud walls for 16"centres, but the one that is puzzling me is the one at 19" 7/32nds, that is nineteen inches and seven thirty seconds, I believe it is one fifth of eight foot, but I have never come across anybody who uses this measurement. I would be very grateful if you could provide me with an answer.' Thanks for the answer I was sent, which is on this website .'The black diamond on the top scale starting at 19.2 inches is for truss layouts for 8-foot sheet goods �also referred to as the "black truss" markings. If you divide five into 96 inches (8 feet), it will give 19.2 inches �in other words, 5 trusses per sheet.' Rabone Chesterman has been mentioned above. I was sent the following information: 'Just seen your mention of Rabone (misspelt Raybone) Chestermans on the web. I think the factory closed in 1979, although the front office block was retained and converted to new offices.

I took a lot of photographs, including some of them making land-chains, and as you might imagine they had a specially long works building to check these in for accuracy. The company was an amalgamation of a works called Chestermans in Sheffield and Rabones in Birmingham, dating back to the 1700s. I managed to salvage a few large brass and steel templates used for taking off measurements (using a pantograph process) to etch into steel rulers (a lot were going for scrap as the works was closing). The staff were all very proud of the company and there was a real feeling of sadness at the closure and the loss of two hundred years of history. I think the trade name was bought by Stanley Tools.' More about Chesterman: "Here's one of the Chesterman template rulers. 343 is the pattern number, and the engraved woring says 'standard for taper nedge (sic), 64ths, 1/64 to 9/64ths'. Someone with just as bad spelling has penned a newer number 828 and 'revers side' on! All this is engraved onto the back of a recycled 2" wide steel ruler.

Rabone's are still making steel rules, but everything moved back to Birmingham when the factory closed. I'm not sure exactly what Stanley Tools purchased, maybe the flexible steel measuring tape side of the business." If anyone else knows anything about any of these tapes or measures, please contact me and I'll pass the information on.

Question: How many centimetres make up a hand, the measurement used on horses?
Answer: 10